August 23, 2026
La Vuelta is known for it's short, punchy stages and steep ramps to the finish but given that the race started so far from Spain, there is only one way to get there and that's by having multiple long stages. Today's second stage is 202 km from Monaco to Manosque, a common finish in the Tour de la Provence, and covers nearly 3,000 meters of altitude gain along the way. The start will send the riders West along the riviera and once out of Cagnes-sur-Mer, the race heads inland and over the first few mountains of this Vuelta including the Col Chateauneuf-Grasse and the Col de Saint Andrieu. Neither are particularly difficult but they will bring the race to around 700 meters above sea level. The race will continue to roll up and down through Aups and Montmeyan before the Bonus Sprint in Gréoux-les-Bains with seconds available for the first three across the line. 35 km will remain after the sprint and they may be the easiest of the entire stage. The road gradually rises away from Le Verdon River for 12 km to Valensole before descending back down to La Durance River and into Manosque. There should be sprinters still in the group as they enter the technical streets of the town. The last kilometer is dead straight on a rising road however so if someone is out of position, there is a little time to move up before the expected reduced sprint.
Race Summary
The high cloud may have blocked the harshest of the sun rays but the temperature was still 32C (90F) so hydration and cooling were the orders of the day. A nice break got away early with Ethan Hayter of Soudal Quickstep, Koen Bouwman of Jayco AlUla, Diego Uriarte of Equipo Kern Pharma, and Sinuhé Fernández of Burgos-Burpellet BH. With 112 km to go on the Col de Saint Andrieu, their lead was just 1 minute 35 seconds as Visma-Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek, and Netcompany-Ineos were keeping a close watch on proceedings at the front of the peloton. Other news from the early moments of the race came by way of Cian Uijtdebroeks of Movistar. The Belgian crashed on his own and when the cameras started rolling, he was struggling at the back of the bunch which was a blow for the duel-GC ambitions of the Spanish squad with Uijtdebroeks and Enric Mas.
At the top of the climb, Uriarte tried to get a jump on Bouwman by going early for the KOM sprint but the Dutch rider had enough punch to get back on the wheel and come around to take maximum points, adding to his tally from the maximum points he won on the Col Chateauneuf-Grasse earlier in the day. The gap was kept around 1 minute as the riders passed small villages on narrow rural Provençal roads.
Just outside of Quinson with 60 km to go, GC teams were moving their leaders forward to be in good position for a 3 km, 6% uncategorized climb. Visma-Lease a Bike took control when they reached the climb and rode quite hard which eviscerated the gap. Bouwman dropped back into the peloton as the bunch twisted their way up the escarpment through lines of spectators and they crested just 30 seconds after the break.
Hayter was the last of the break standing and had just 20 seconds with 9 km still to ride to the Bonus Sprint. Hayter started the day on the same time as Tadej Pogačar and this was his only realistic chance to take bonus seconds to wear the Red Jersey. Visma-Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek were riding hard which sent riders out the back of the bunch but Hayter was defying well and actually extended his lead to 30 seconds by the time he crossed the sprint line to take the points and the 6 bonus seconds for the GC. Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike won the sprint from the field with Bryan Coquard of Cofidis in third for 4 and 2 seconds respectively.
Hayter sat up and was caught with 34 km to go leaving the peloton nothing left to chase. The pace went out, offering everyone a chance to get bottles and relax for a few kilometers before the final push to the finish began. The main field continued in a relatively relaxed manner through Valensole and passed the sun-burnt hay fields of a hot and dry Summer.
The road stayed blocked at the front with Visma-Lease a Bike owning the right side as UAE-XRG, Lidl-Trek, Groupama-FDJ United, Movistar, and Netcompany-Ineos stacked across shoulder to shoulder. It was until until 8 km to go that the race suddenly ignited. The entrance into Manosque was very technical so the lead in on wider roads was the best place to move up but everyone had the same idea. Between 4-3 km to go, there were a number of narrowings and pinch points that split up teams and created a jumbled mass of disorganized riders. Out of a sharp right corner at 2 km to go, the road pitched up for 200 meters at around 8% which was the perfect launch pad for a late attack. Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike took full advantage and went for it. He was swiftly followed by Pogačar but it took a few hundred meters for the pair to link up. EF-Education EasyPost tried to close the gap but the acceleration was so powerful that they could do nothing about it.
Alessandro Romele of XDS-Astana jumped across but his presence stalled the group and Lidl-Trek hauled them back just as they passed through 900 meters to go. Jayco AlUla tried a counter move but Visma-Lease a Bike gained control with the intent of putting Matthew Brennan in a position to sprint. Momentum was waning from the Visma-Lease a Bike lead out and a rush came from behind by Finn Fisher-Black of Redbull-Bora Hansgrohe which required those at the front to react quickly. Fisher-Black led from 600 meters but he had Brennan, Pedersen, and Pogačar right on his wheel and ready to pounce. Fisher-Black was overtaken 220 meters out by Brennan and Pedersen who opened the sprint at the same time. When Brennan hit the gas, he opened a bike length then two and crossed the line with at least five in hand to take a comfortable win, the first Grand Tour stage win of his career. Pedersen faded in the closing meters and was passed first by Pau Miquel of Bahrain Victorious who took second then by Pogačar for third.
Unfortunately for Hayter, he did not save enough energy to stay in the first group of riders and his Red Jersey dream went up in a flash as he finished the day in a group at 31 seconds down. Pogačar retained his lead, now 9 seconds to van Aert and 10 seconds to Brennan who moved up courtesy of the bonus seconds at the finish.